A Reflection of our Adventure

We have been home for over a week now and have had the opportunity to reflect on this special adventure. We realize we were really fortunate to have experienced such a unique trip. We never thought we would be able to go to Antactica. That portion in Antarctic was the gem of this trip while Argentina and Brazil were extra perks.



Another thing we were somewhat surprised about, was that there were a goodly number of folks that were not very physically fit or healthy enough to attempt such an adventure. If you happen to have a serious medical issue while aboard ship, you may not get to a hospital for a number of days. It doesn't mean it is reputable, just a hospital. We were awfully far from any medical facility for any major problem.


The Quark Expedition Team was absolutely excellent. They made sure everything and every point of interest was safe as well as interesting and well planned. The stops that we made are not always possible due to the ice buildup in some of the areas but they would not forego safety in search of adventure. They also made sure we were well equipped with special boots and the lovely water repellent warm yellow jackets. Those bright yellow jackets will come in so handy here in FL. :-)






The team members from the Ocean Diamond Expedition were well trained in multiple positions which meant they might be guiding a zodiac in the morning and later in the day providing instruction for the kayakers or skiers or making sure you had your life jacket on properly as they checked off your name as you left the boat for a hike and cruise. The team members assisted in everything from medical, geological, photography and animal and bird identification and history. They made this trip a wonderful adventure, since they wanted to make sure that you really enjoyed your once in a lifetime experience. We certainly did.




The ship even stopped so that the passengers could get photos of these lovely whales on New Year's Day. Of course, the whales also stayed in the area a little longer since they felt safe. This was fabulous.

We were surprised by the mountains of lava covered with snow. We had stereotypical ideas of Antarctica being flat. It is flatter as you go much farther inland, but that is not an area we will ever see. The central flat area is where a fair amount of research is done by various countries.






















The remoteness did not surprise us but it did give us a very eerie feeling. You could look way off in the distance and not see anything but snow, ice, steep mountains, glaciers, and icebergs, but no other ships. It was almost a quiet soothing meditative type of silence. Really hard to explain because it was so so quiet. You would occasionally hear a glacier calving (crashing into the water) but otherwise this serene feeling. This was especially evident near the "Iceberg Graveyard" area. There wasn't much of anything there, not even many penguins and the gray overcast sky just added to that ominous feeling.







The most beautiful blue iceberg.













Another zodiac seen through a tunnel of an iceberg. Neat!












The penguins were quite fascinating to watch and to try to identify which ones were which. I was concerned that the odor around the penguins would be terrible. I had read that it would be overpowering. There was a smell but not too bad; it certainly could have been far worse. They are noisy little buggers though. They are in constant motion and really make a fair amout of chatter within their colonies. The surprising thing is that some of the colonies were way up on the tops of mountains, which made it difficult for them to go down to the water to get food and then make the long trek back up the mountain. Also, larger birds could also see them when they were on the mountain tops, which makes them a main meal for predators. Some of the larger birds just hover over penguin colonies to try to get the eggs or young chicks that might escape. The penguins do not have an easy life.











































All in all we had a wonderful time, especially in Antarctic since that is surely a place we won't be able to travel to again soon.

Argentina was also pretty unique in that we were able to see a huge glacier that continues to grow. Most glaciers are getting smaller.














Buenos Aires was a huge city but it did offer some unique things such as the dog walkers and the cathedral of the now Pope Francis, the opera, along with areas which Eva Peron made famous. There is a different culture there and people are either quite rich or awfully poor. The poor areas were so sad and dilapidated.







The Cathedral where Pope Francis used to preach in Buenos Aires.












Where Eva Peron spoke.





Ceiling dome within the opera.














The falls at Iguazu are one of the 7 wonders of the natural world, so we were fortunate to spend a fair amount of time there.

All in all we had a wonderful trip.